Tuesday, 4 August 2015

Kennecott Concentration Mill and Power Plant, Kennicott

Kennicott was a mine city from 1900 till 1939. The Kennecott Mine Company has not only built this 14 story wooden concentration mill and power plant but also a 196 mile long railroad to transport the copper and silver to the sea. The mill is now a national landmark and it is easy to understand why. It is just impressive to see how the wooden structure can survive for more than a hundred years.

Trams with cable cars were bringing the copper from the mines high in the mountains. They entered the mill where it was separated from soil and limestone. The power plant below provided the electricity for the production process and the trams.

The mining activities continued here the whole year, even in the winter when it was freezing up to minus 50 degrees Celsius. Today, Kennicott is a ghost town. During the high season from mid-May till mid-September tourists come here to hike, visit the glacier, mill and mines. Outside this period about 5 people live here, it must be hard.